HEO 49

〔They say they want to see Mom! Mom! Mom!〕

〔They say they want to play with Dad! Dad!〕

〔Everyone. You should go home.〕

The voice urged them on with a hint of reproach. By then, the warriors were starting to catch on to the trickery. One warrior pinched his own forearm. Each slapped their own chest, kicked the ground, and checked their senses. The axes scattered on the floor returned to their owners’ hands. Silver also rubbed the floor with his shoe. It wasn’t slippery. No need to worry about slipping when running.

We have to go far. Is that why they fed us so much?

〔Go home! The children are crying!〕

〔Mom! Dad!〕

Silver scanned the warriors without blinking once. Slowly but surely, they were forming a wedge formation. A structure aimed forward like a sharp blade. The strongest warrior stood at the front. With him as the central axis, the warriors lined up on either side, spreading out like wings. The wedge formation allowed the warriors to rely on each other and press through a breakthrough. It was a strategy faithful to the basics, and the only way to maintain direction in this distorted space.

The vanguard was a man younger than the chief warrior. The formation was set.

Silence.

Even the fox fairies had fallen silent at some point. The vanguard slowly raised one hand. His hand holding the axe tightly, was a tangle of thick, protruding veins and scars. Every gaze was fixed on that single hand. Suddenly, the vanguard’s forearm extended like a spear shaft. The axe aimed at the air. A rallying shout rang out.

“March!”

Immediately, the warriors took a step forward. One step. Two steps. They walked slowly and in perfect unison.

Only then did Black Weasel move a hand.

[Follow me.]

Black Weasel weaved into the center of the formation. A position protected by the warriors. Black Weasel and the woman with the eye patch stood in front. Behind them were Silver, Wolf, and Red Eagle. Matching the warriors’ pace, they took one step. Two steps.

Black Weasel turned his head slightly toward Silver.

“Stay right behind me, Silver. Forget about the prince and his servant now.”

At those words, Silver glanced at Wolf. The latter walked while clutching one of Red Eagle’s hands tightly. His face was like a painting, his pace like a snail’s. A man even a drunkard would underestimate, but he radiated a dangerous aura. Like seeing a madman not dodging a boulder hurtling downhill, but charging straight into it barehanded.

Had he made up his mind himself? Resolved to survive here no matter what? But this was a test of endurance. The skeleton evil spirit might play a nasty trick along the way. Red Eagle would certainly die. Maybe…no, definitely Wolf too.

His gaze wandered again.

He was drawn in.

As if pulled taut by an invisible thread.

Silver averted his eyes. He clenched his jaw and stared straight ahead.

Thud. Thud. Heavy footsteps echoed. The warriors marched forward in silence. Relentlessly, tenaciously, and slowly. It was a strategy to conserve strength. The fox fairies cried out again.

〔The little ones are crying they want to sleep with Mom and Dad!〕

〔They say they won’t eat without Mom and Dad!〕

The voice joined in.

〔Everyone, what is that snail’s pace? Don’t you want to go home?〕

〔Disappointing. Was family only this important to you? Your young children and elderly parents suffer in your absence.〕

〔Those who disregard family have no place as warriors. You are not warriors.〕

The warriors didn’t react. They all knew this was a battle of wills.

〔Show some warrior spirit now! Act honorably!〕

〔Have you forsaken not only your families, but a warrior’s honor as well?〕

〔Haa… I suppose I have no choice. I’ll have to be the one to show consideration for your families.〕

Suddenly, screams erupted. Several warriors halted and broke the formation. Black Weasel and the woman with the eye patch staggered to a stop.

[W-Wolf…!]

Red Eagle flopped down to the ground. Wolf remained motionless as he stared ahead. Silver’s entire body froze.

There was a door. Within an arrow’s flight.

***

〔I couldn’t bear to see your families waiting for you any longer. How about it?〕

〔Now, go meet your families.〕

It felt like the final moment in a gladiatorial arena, with only two people left on stage. Everyone held their breath. The time it would take to walk to the door was half a candle’s burn. At first glance.

The door was five times the height of Black Weasel? Its width was unknown. That didn’t matter.

[It’s an iron door. How are we supposed to open that…]

Red Eagle voiced Silver’s thoughts in a desperate voice.

Indeed, it looked solid as a rock, it would take at least a hundred blows from a siege hammer to crack. Silver was suddenly overcome with doubt. Was the blacksmith Bingapsu claimed to have met by chance, an hallucination he encountered while smoking?

[Alright! Let’s just stay here. The food’s good, right?]

Wolf glared at Silver in response to his remark. Three deep furrows were etched across his forehead. It was a joke, asshole. And honestly, what other choice do we have?

Just as he sneered,

〔Don’t misunderstand. It opens automatically once you reach the door.〕

The voice spoke. It sounded like it had looked into Silver’s very soul with a magnifying glass.

An absolute silence fell. Even a newborn kitten could sense what kind of thoughts plagued the people here. Escape was possible. Just take twenty deep breaths and run with all your might.

The warriors lowered their bodies slowly, eyes fixed on the door. Black Weasel and the woman with the eye patch did the same. If even a single cough erupted from somewhere, they’d all burst out like a swarm of bees.

The vanguard’s hand rose. Slowly again, it cut through the heavy silence and reached toward the air. He shouted a single word.

“Charge!”

This wasn’t a march. This time, it was a charge.

Yaaahh! They roared. The warriors sprinted forward in unison. It was like countless crossbows firing simultaneously. Their footsteps struck the ground like whips.

“Hey, you fool, Silver!”

Black Weasel shouted over his shoulder.

“Run faster! Stay right on my tail!”

Only then did Silver realize. For some time now, he’d been running like a mouse with its tail on fire. No wonder, no matter how good the food was, he hated being stuck here.

The warriors were already far ahead. The wedge formation had changed into a precise line. They looked threatening as they raced in single file like a giant centipede moving its many legs. If this had been an ordinary tribal village, people would have scattered in terror. But…

Huh?

Something was wrong. Even while running for his life, he turned his head and saw the space beside him was empty. Where the hell did these guys go?

[Silver! Over here!]

As if answering his question, Wolf shouted. Silver reflexively turned and was dumbfounded. Far off in the distance, Wolf and Red Eagle were walking slowly while holding hands like an old couple taking a stroll in front of their house.

[Silver! Over here! Sir and ma’am too!]

Wolf waved one arm and shouted repeatedly. Red Eagle was whimpering like a child being dragged away by kidnappers. Silver found himself slowing down.

Why is Wolf acting like that? Has he finally lost his mind…

Suddenly, a bone-chilling cold swept over him, dispersing his doubts. His heart pounded, and his entire body grew icy cold. Silver was familiar with this sensation. It was the physical change that occurred when his intuition sent a warning signal. Something was wrong now, he was running in the wrong direction…

No, he shouldn’t blindly trust it. This wasn’t some interesting situation like dozens of swordsmen lurking beyond the bushes. Relying on a vague premonition to make crucial decisions at the crossroads of life and death was extremely dangerous. But despite this, as if spellbound, Silver turned around. His hesitant steps quickly accelerated like a sled sliding down a winter hill. Dammit, I don’t know either!

[Silver! Do something about Wolf!]

As Silver approached, Red Eagle wailed.

[He should be running, but he insists on walking! No matter how much I beg, he won’t listen!]

Red Eagle’s wrist was pale from how tightly Wolf held it. Silver frowned and looked at Wolf.

[Why aren’t you running? Are you seriously planning to stay here forever?]

A low but clear answer came back.

[Because there’s no need to run.]